Albania rebukes Serbia over Kosovo rhetoric

Albania’s foreign minister has confronted his Serbian counterpart in Washington over "unacceptable" and inflammatory remarks about Kosovo.

Ferit Hoxha held face-to-face talks with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić on the sidelines of a major US anti-terror summit.

Mr Hoxha used the meeting to deliver a sharp diplomatic rebuke over recent comments by a Serbian cabinet minister alleging "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo.

Calling the claims irresponsible, Mr Hoxha warned that such hostility inflames regional tensions and actively damages European peace efforts.

He later stated that true diplomacy requires looking rivals in the eye to confront tough realities and settle disputes responsibly.

On Thursday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also reacted on this matter, confirming that Tirana had delivered an official diplomatic response.

Mr Rama dismissed the Belgrade claims as a cheap provocation, stating a self-respecting nation has no obligation to answer every inflammatory outburst.